The Huggy Factor
by rsb57
Summary: Huggy's POV during 'SWEET REVENGE'. The events cause Huggy to reflect on a unique friendship.


**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY PART OF STARSKY AND HUTCH FRANCHISE. THE FOLLOWING IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY.**

Debbie, you provided the seeds. The idea for the story took root and this is what blossomed. Thank You!!

Becky

TYDBTYDBTYDBTYDB

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"Hey Huggy, phone call!" Diane shouted above the crowd in the bar. For early in the day, lunch was hoppin'.

"Huggy Bear-- talk to me."

"Huggy--- umm it's Captain Dobey. Listen--- you--" The captain's voice threw me. He was the last guy I'd expect to be talkin' to and now---

"Captain? Hey- what's up? Somethin' wrong?" I was confused and scared at the same time.

The normally gruff voice of the Police Captain hesitated and he cleared his throat.

"Huggy, you got the TV on? Turn it on-- but wait, I gotta tell you this. Starsky's been shot. Huggy, Hutch needs you. Dave needs you."

The soft, hesitant voice stopped. He used Starsky's first name. How bad is this? What do I do? I heard an unfamiliar muffled sound. Was he cryin'?

I put my hand over the mouthpiece and yelled at somebody to turn the TV on to the news station. There- images jumped on the screen. Flash of a red car. People everywhere. The pictures blurred in front of me. What the hell?

"Captain, what's goin' on?" I wanted to know but, well, maybe it was someone else?

"Huggy, just get to Memorial Hospital ICU-- fast. It's Dave-- he's--- Huggy, it's bad."

Captain Dobey stopped again. There was silence but I could hear him take in a deep breath.

Starsky was shot. Those words slammed against me and pushed me back into the bar. Ya know how they say when you think you're gonna die, your life flashes before your eyes? Well, my life just flashed a hell of a picture. For a minute, I didn't have the energy to stop the images from appearing.

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Okay, I know what you're thinkin'. So what is a street punk like me doin' hangin' out with two cops? Where I come from, cops are way down on the list of important people. You just don't get in their back pocket and live to tell about it. But well-- how do I explain? Yeah, I am on the edge of legal. They know it and I know they know it. But, I can give them information and they can give me protection. At least that's the way it started out. Starsky and Hutch- Hutch and Starsky. Ya just can't have one without the other. At first I didn't trust either one of 'em. They came, they asked and for a little green, we came to an understanding.

But when they started hangin' at my bar, well what were they tryin' to do, give my place a bad name? I tried pissing them off. Being rude, givin' bad service. Really -gettin' down with my brothers- sort of attitude. But they kept comin' back and before I knew what was happening, those guys were part of the atmosphere. Their beat was in my neighborhood. Even off duty, they still wanted to be in that neighborhood. I guess they thought that if they were visible, then things would be safer. Don't get me wrong, these are two mean guys when they wanna be. I'd rather have them as friends than enemies, but there's still a part of me that doesn't quite trust them.

But how was I to know that I would be invited into their small circle of trusted people, or that I would even want to be. Me-- they wanted to trust me. Me-- a black- one foot just over this side of legal- eyes in the back of my head- bar owner in a bad side of town-- kind of guy.

Now let me tell ya, these guys are tough. I've seen 'em rough up the biggest, badest dudes with no thought to their own safety. All they want is the truth. They play off each other and can wear down the most closed mouthed, hard core guys with very little effort. But when they kick back, man, I'm tellin' ya it wears me out just to try to keep up with their sense of humor. It's like when they can, they just want to shut out the ugliness and play as hard as they work.

------

So now I'm standing out in a hallway of Memorial Hospital looking through a glass window at the dark haired one, fighting for his life. How did we all get here? When was it that they started treating me more as a friend than a snitch? How did I get on the right side of the law?

Well, let me tell ya, it wasn't an easy ride. Bein' involved with Starsky and Hutch, I just never knew where to plant myself. But if I stayed close, one of them would reach out. I became sort of the jam to their peanut butter and bread.

I think the first time I realized they needed me and that we all learned we could trust each other was that time, years ago, when Hutch got strung out on heroin by some pretty heavy dudes.

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"Huggy, I need you man. Can I use your upstairs bedroom? No questions, just trust me. I need help for Hutch." Starsky's dark face stopped the questions on Huggy's tongue. He didn't ask, he figured he'd find out soon enough. If Starsky was comin' to him for help, then it was pretty serious.

Starsky went back out to the car and Huggy ran through the bar, calling out to Diane.

"Hey Diane, watch the place awhile. I need you to be quiet and forget what you're about to see and hear."

She shrugged and went about her business. In this part of town, the less you knew, the safer you were. So she didn't even look up when she heard the door bang open. She heard one voice grunting and moving as if under a heavy burden. The other voice, well, it wasn't what he said as much as the noises. She heard crying, pleading and a swear word or two. But, she didn't want to know, didn't want to see. She trusted Huggy. He was a good guy, helping people whenever he could.

That two days of pain and torture for Hutch had opened Huggy's eyes to the friendship Starsky and Hutch had. Starsky was risking his job by helping Hutch and keeping his whereabouts secret. The only other person that knew was their captain. From what Starsky and Hutch had told him about Captain Dobey, the man was tough but fair. He didn't get to be police captain in a white world by being a pushover. But the guys liked him. Huggy hadn't met him yet but hey, --one brother to another, -- right on!

"Huggy-- coffee, lots of it, lots of sugar." Starsky held on to Hutch like both their lives depended on the contact. Hutch was so far gone, he just shook and sweat. He threw up the coffee. He curled into himself but responded to Starsky's voice. Even as strung out and helpless as he was, Hutch knew he could trust Starsky.

It wasn't Hutch that later paced like a caged animal and threatened Starsky. It wasn't Hutch who threw things and rushed head long into his friend, straining for release. This man was something else. He was being driven by the drug. But Starsky didn't give up.

Starsky finally caught a break when I came back with clothes for Hutch. He had turned a corner and would eventually be okay. But Starsky had to track down a lead. He talked to Dobey who gave him some information about the car that had been across from my place. Starsky finished the phone call and headed out the door. He needed action. He needed to use up the adrenaline still pumping him like the drug still flowing through Hutch.

He left and the phone rang.

"Is this Huggy?, the gruff voice asked.

'Yeah it is, Captain?-- what can I do for ya?'

I told him where Starsky was and then, the gruff, hard voice softened and Captain Dobey thanked me. A captain of the police force thanked me.

"Huggy, I appreciate what you're doing for my boys."

'Well, they're my boys too Captain, and they're all right in my book'. I answered back.

After he hung up I still held that phone in my hand, looking at it in disbelief. --_If they could only see me now---_ I thought of all the guys back on the street who just wouldn't believe this.

-------

I know, it's my fault I guess for gettin' involved with these guys, but how can ya resist? I've had my head bashed in a time or two 'cause someone wanted the guys' attention. So I got roughed up because of my association with them. It was known that get to Huggy and you'd get Starsky and Hutch.

Now I've seen these guys at play. Playing with women, playing pool, playing tricks on each other. But let me tell you, these guys ain't what they seem.

The blond one, now you'd think he was a stuffed shirt. Big, blond, cover page, model handsome. Not your typical cop. He was a thinker. Oh sure, he had plenty of muscle but he'd get you with one look from those steely blue eyes. Add to that the finger that went with the hard assed look and well, you would confess to being a vampire if that's what he was looking for.

Not that either Starsky or Hutch played dirty. They wanted the truth at any cost, but they did it legal. Maybe it was their way rather than by the book, but Hutch made sure that the charges would stick. But the other side of Hutch was amazing. All hard and serious while on the clock, but once he hung up his gun, well he was ready for fun.

He played his guitar with the same attitude that made him a good cop. He was committed. I know, for a guy like me to sound mushy, well it don't jive, but you have to know Hutch. He was serious about his music. It was his release. With all the crap and ugly stuff he saw, music washed it all away. Same with his plants. He treated them like kids. He took care of 'em and worried over 'em. He wanted to see beauty instead of crooks and murders.

Then there's Starsky. Now this guy is muscle, action and hard core street wise all rolled into a never ending, whirling ball of childish glee. He also wears his heart on his sleeve. I'm actually more scared of Starsky than Hutch. His energy is chaotic. You don't know where he'll land next. He does everything with passion.

------

That's why now, here at this damn hospital, it don't make sense, seein' him layin' in that bed. How could he be living and be so still? How did bullets manage to catch him and flatten him so fast? But I know. I know he's gonna be okay. He's gonna make it. Hutch thinks he's dyin'. They all think he's dyin' . But me-- There's always a chance. I refuse to believe anything but in that chance.

Hutch is sittin' in that chair, starin' at his friend. He hasn't moved in an hour. Dobey's here too. Just watchin'. His face has changed in the last hour. His face is more like a dried out raisin. So deep are the worry lines. His face tells a story about how much he cares for these boys of his.

But wait, I know you're fed up with how my mind is bouncin' from one thing to another. But I look through that window and I want to be the positive force out in this hall. We can't give up. Hutch and Dobey, I gotta keep it together for them. I gotta take care of them now.

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Oh wait, a picture of Starsky just flashed in my head. Now ya'll know I'm a hustler by trade. I've had my schemes and quick scams but Starsky liked my pet rock stage. Those damn rocks painted up and I gave them names. Leave it to Starsky to be drawn into the stupid rip off. He actually believed in his rock. But that's Starsky. He can be sharp as a knife in your back but when he's winding down, well, he'll believe in anything!

You wanna know more about Starsky? Well he puts everything he has into whatever he's doin'. In a case that the guys are workin' on, he's the one that won't give up till the last clue is dug up. He'll put his life on the line, risk his job, put himself in front of danger all in the name of getting the bad guys. Whether those bad guys are actual people or if the bad happens to be something in his way, damn, he don't give up easy.

But you wanna know how much Starsky cares? One night Hutch came inta my place, alone. Now that don't happen much. So I wondered, what's up with that? Hutch looked beat but damn angry.

"What's up my brother? Where's the curly one" I bounced over to him in my best funky shuffle and sat down. I set the beer in front of him. He hadn't asked, but I knew just the way he had walked in that he needed it.

"Starsky's busy, Hug. He's playing nurse maid" Hutch answered with unresolved detachement..

"Oh must be a lady involved. Which damsel in distress is he tending to now?" I asked because Starsky always wanted to fix things.

"Sharman. Her name's Sharman. She used to be a model, now she's a drunk who witnessed a crime. On top of that, Starsky used to know the girl. Back when she was a beautiful teenaged model." Hutch took a long sip of his beer and savored the liquid as it slid down his throat.

"So now he thinks he can clean her up and save her from herself. Sounds like our boy" I could just see the guy, staring her down and daring her to cross him. But at the same time, wanting to protect her. Proving that somebody cares about her.

"Trouble is Huggy, we need the guy who she can I.D. He got away but he'll want her dead. But I need a name. Can you help?" Hutch asked with hooded eyes. He was so tired but still angry at his idealistic partner.

So of course, I found somebody who knew the guy. I hooked Hutch and him up and that was that.

But another time, Starsky just about tore me to pieces because he wanted to find the guy who could help Hutch. Ya see, Hutch had the plague. There was a hitman with the plague. Sounds totally bogus don't it? Well it wasn't. Hutch was dyin'. Starsky turned every rock trying to find this Calander guy.

I was ridin' with Starsky, lookin' for clues, checkin' with every stoolie and snitch we knew but nobody was talkin'. We made a stop in a parking lot, we both went in different directions.

"What ya find Starsky?" I got nothin' but I had hoped he would be successful. He had to have answers. When Starsky was pushed, he wanted action.

"Somebody gotta know something Huggy" He was so juiced up on his own frustration that he grabbed me. His eyes have a way of gettin' real black when he's really pissed. It's a scary thing, especially when it's directed at you.

He shook me like he expected the answer to fall out of my pockets.

"Easy man, I got Hutch in my heart too." That got to him. He heard the misery in my voice and he knew he wasn't alone. But he'd do anything for Hutch.

"I'll empty my bank account. I'll hawk the Torino." He pounded the top of the red car with his fist.

"It's not enough. Nobody wants ta be on the wrong side of this one. We gotta keep huntin'." I tried to reason with him but all he could see was Hutch layin' in that bed. Hutch was down to gasping for air and clutching at the last of his life.

Starsky would do anything to get to the answer. Especially if it involved Hutch.

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Now, Hutch is sittin' here, watching his best friend through a window. Hutch's eyes are wild. He's damn scared. He needs to be in there with Starsky. Out here, Hutch is helpless. Hutch thinks Starsky's dying. How can you help but agree when you see that man all alone in that bed, surrounded by machines. The doctor and nurses keep pokin' and fiddling with things. Stuff is happening but nobody tells us what it all means.

Dobey's just standing there off by himself. Now this is one cool dude. He has to be tough because he's their boss. But I know different. Dobey's eyes are heavy with concern and fear. He loves Starsky and Hutch as much as I do. But his tough shell is meltin' away. The longer he stands there and stares through that window, his face gets a little grayer. I know he's prayin'. Him and the missus believe in that. Hey, if it'll get Starsky through this, then maybe I should introduce myself to the Guy Upstairs.

The doctor just came out in the hall. Hutch stood up on shaky legs. I could see Hutch's shoulders slump and his eyes searching the serious face in front of him.

Dobey and I move forward. But I just move closer to the window.

"He's in a coma, but he's alive." The doctor continues with some medical garbage. It don't make sense. The doctor tries to be reasurring but his voice holds no hope.

I stop listening after I hear the words that he's alive. Maybe if I keep repeating _**'he's alive'**_-- in my head it'll help. Maybe it'll make all this crap go away.

Finally, Hutch pushes open that door and I watch through the window as he goes in to be with Starsky. He just stands there. You can tell how helpless he feels. He just stares at all the tubes and machines. He glances at the nurse, but she don't have any answers either.

Oh shit. Dobey's talkin' to the doctor. I don't want to hear what they're sayin'. I don't want to see that broken man layin' in that bed either. But, I gotta know. I have to be strong for Hutch and Dobey.

There must be gum on the bottom of my shoes. My feet won't budge from where they are. My ears suddenly get bigger. I can't block out the conversation between the doc and Dobey.

"Doctor, what are Dave's chances? Please give it straight." Dobey whispers, his voice is strained.

"Captain, there's so much damage. Heart and lungs. We had to remove his spleen." The doctor rubs his face and shakes his head.

"What do I tell Ken? Dave and Ken are police partners but it's more than that. They might as well be brothers. Closer even. How do I tell him that Dave is so bad?" The captain just starts to shake. The doctor reaches over to steady him.

I still can't move. My feet are stuck to the floor. My eyes are glued to the blond in that room.

The doctor continues with his list of injuries. Then he says the words that really hit me hard. It's then I know for sure that this ain't no scam.

"If he has family, they should get here as soon as possible. The next 48 hours are key. I just don't know what else to tell you." The doctor started to walk away but Dobey grabs him and forces him to stop.

"Doctor, we are his family. Hutchinson will want to be with Starsky as much as possible. They need each other. But, I'll call David's mom. She lives in New York."

"Well, you better do it fast. I pray she gets here in time." The doctor patted Dobey on the shoulder and looked over at me. I caught the hopeless look but I smiled. They're all wrong. Starsky's gonna beat this.


End file.
